Sanofi Against Freedom of Speech

February 22, 20162,093 Views

We at CBW want to stress that the article in question did not state that the majority of Humanity Georgia’s employees have worked specifically for Sanofi, but rather a range of internationally represented pharmaceutical companies.

This information does not represent a subject of special interest for CBW’s editorial board. We have verified the information to receive reaffirmation from our respondent and to confirm that the information spread by our agency contains no factual errors or misinformation.

It is absolutely unclear to us on what grounds Ms. Nadia Labodovskaya, the communications head of the Sanofi Central Asia office, and Ms. Marina Giorgobiani, the head of the Sanofi representation in the Caucasus Region, are offended by CBW’s editorial content.

Moreover, the position expressed by Ms. Giorgobiani is both unclear and unacceptable. Her letter demanding to take down Sanofi’s mention from CBW’s content violates all norms of healthy relations with mass media. Ms. Giorgobiani requests Sanofi’s name not to be mentioned without a written letter of consent with the company. Otherwise, as the head of the Sanofi representation in the Caucasus, Ms. Giorgobiani threatens to apply to the court against CBW.

CBW.GE assesses this request as an act of threat and pressure staged by an international company against our media agency. CBW.GE is ready to protect its rights around the above-mentioned issue at any instance or office.

Sanofi manufactures and distributes drugs internationally and represents a multi-national pharmaceutical enterprise. We at CBW collect and spread information independently and comprise a small media outlet. But we do believe that amid the current open and transparent business relations, scales of this or that company cannot be a ground for staging similar attacks against representatives of mass media. Large-scale companies should be even more conscious to not stage pressure and make threatening statements against small independent media outlets.

Due to the written threat from Sanofi’s Caucasus office, CBW.GE plans to apply to domestic and international media agencies and associations, as well as to the Sanofi head office for an official statement commenting on the fact of the pressure staged against CBW’s editorial integrity.